Empowering women in tourism for International Women's Day
“I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life’s a bitch. You’ve got to go out and kick ass.” - Maya Angelou
When it comes to travel, life certainly has been a bitch this year. But Maya is right. You’ve got to go out and kick ass, and through all our years of creating films about sustainable tourism, that’s what we have witnessed from women in tourism. They kick ass. They connect with others. They create communities and they inherently understand sustainability.
Women have also been kicking COVID-19’s ass. Which is why this year, on March 8, we need to fly the flag of women’s empowerment in tourism on International Women’s Day more than most. According to the UN, the majority of caregivers during the pandemic have been women.
Women’s empowerment and sustainable tourism
The least we can do in tourism is ensure that women are given the roles and recognition they deserve moving forward. Gender equality is one of the main UN Sustainable Development Goals to be achieved by 2030, which aims to "achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls." With women making up the majority of the tourism workforce in the world and also being some of the lowest-paid, we have a long way to go. Yet, in many places, women are considered the guardians of cultural heritage, stories, and creativity. It’s time to put a value on that, not just for International Women’s Day, but in all our tourism projects and strategies moving forward.
Storytelling about women in tourism
It’s no coincidence that when researching and producing films about sustainable tourism, we find that women are often central to the stories. Some take their moment in the limelight and share their stories on film, and others stand back in the shadows of men, letting them be the mouthpiece. As part of our own efforts to adhere to more stringent equality, diversity and inclusion guidelines for the 21st century, we will endeavor to improve on this. In the meantime, here are some of the women leaders in tourism whom we have met, filmed, and been inspired by. All of them fit and rise to this year’s International Women’s Day theme and hashtag #ChooseToChallenge.
Supan Inthachai - Baan Rai kong khing, Thailand
In our film Thai Wisdom and Wellness, Supan Inthachai, founder of Baan Rai Kong Khing homestay community in Thailand’s Chiang Mai region, is a woman who fully understands how to nourish travelers and her community members. “We use food as medicine. When your heart is full you’re not stressed.”
Seledonia Montalvo - seledonia’s mesa, Peru
“I never planned to own a restaurant,” says Selia, who now owns the popular Cusco restaurant, Seladonia’s Mesa. “I worked as a cook in many high-end restaurants. When I was pregnant with my son Matias, I had a very big belly and I was told at work by the owners of the restaurant, ‘Selia, we appreciate your work, but we cannot keep you anymore. The risk of an accident is too high.’ When I opened my restaurant I was very pregnant. My restaurant is my pride and source of happiness for me. I want to expand and open more of them….give opportunities to others, especially to single mothers.”
Rosmarie ruf - okapi conservation project, democratic republic congo
Rosmarie Ruf took over leadership of the Okapi Conservation Project in the Democratic Republic of the Congo after her husband died in 2013. Since then she has faced a lethal attack by rebels, and a pandemic. And she’s still going strong: “If someone had told me 20 or 30 years ago, you’re going to be a project director in Epulu and manage about a hundred people, I would say ‘no way, I can’t do that. It’s absolutely not possible’….then I realised that if I didn’t stand up for something, I’m not going to make it. I have to show leadership.”
Viola Adeke Otwane - lifeStraw, Kenya
“They say that what a man can do, a woman can do better. A stronger woman makes a stronger family. Eventually we have a stronger community and a stronger country. It has always been the responsibility of women to get water from whatever sources, no matter the distance. And most of this water was never treated.” says Viola Adeke Otwane, LifeStraw Area Coordinator in Kenya, who made it possible to bring clean water to over 4.6 million school children. Considered an eminent leader in her community, she adds, “All the potential that was hidden in women in the kitchen is now being felt out there, in the community.”
Who are the real women influencers in your life and travels?
We have all met extraordinary women on our travels at GLP but we would love to hear your stories of women who have stopped you in your tracks. Women who are influencers in the real sense of the word. They may not have been on your travels, of course. They may be on your own doorstep. Please share these on social media using the #ChoosetoChallenge, #IWD2021 hashtags, as well as our own #glpfilms. Let’s kick ass and connect.